Many children look forward to sleeping in and lounging around the house the Saturday at the beginning of spring break. In Independence County, however, some kids put on their work gloves and went into a historic cemetery to continue sprucing up the site.
“We have a good time up there,” said Keylee Harris, 10, a few days before the workday. “We work hard and sweat, but it’s fun.”
Keylee’s mother, Catherine Harris, is the leader for the Diamond T 4-H Club, which has stepped up to take care of the historic Akron Cemetery on Arkansas 122, south of Newark.
“We kept passing this cemetery and saw it all grown up,” Harris said. “The person that used to take care of the cemetery was Bill Freeze, and he passed away a few years ago. He paid for someone to take care of it, but when [Freeze] died, that stopped.”
After seeing the cemetery and talking about its history, the Diamond T 4-H club members decided to take action.
In January, the club spent eight hours mowing the cemetery, cutting cane and generally cleaning up. They have also been out to the cemetery since then to continue cleaning up and have organized several mowing days for the next six months.
Harris said she is interested in local history, and she has used the project to learn more about the Akron community and teach that history to the 4-H club members.
“We’ve done research online, and it’s possibly the oldest cemetery in Independence County,” she said. “I do genealogy and community history. These [graves] are the people who got our community started. It’s just terrible to see the graves of these people grown up.”
In her research, Harris said, she learned that Akron was once known as Big Bottom. The community was settled in 1815 by Jonathan Magness and his sons Perry Green, Morgan and David. Big Bottom was renamed Akron in 1880, and it was an important trading area for more than 50 years.
“It was a big community in that era,” Harris said. “Because of the floods and the railroad, Akron citizens started moving to Newark.”
Harris said the oldest grave in the cemetery is from the 1820s, and the 4-H members have plans to eventually help clean and restore some of the gravestones.
Through this process, members of the Diamond T 4-H club have learned a lot about respecting history and learning about their community.
“I think it’s bad to see [the cemetery] grown up,” said Shelby Blackman, who is 8 years old. “I just think it’s mean.”
Shelby and her sister, Sydney, age 12, both have enjoyed working in the cemetery. They said it is hard work, but it is worth it to see the grave sites look nice.
“I think people need to respect it,” Sydney said. “It’s people’s family out there.”
On March 20, members of the Diamond T 4-H club went to the cemetery to finish cutting cane and to evaluate the gravestones before they start repairs. Harris said there are 33 stones that need to be repaired, and people in the community have joined the club to care for the cemetery. Palmer Hankins has donated chemicals to keep the weeds at bay, and Dale and Clarise Payne have volunteered to help mow and spray the chemicals, Harris said.
“This has turned into a community project where many people are working together to help with the success of the Diamond T 4-H club community-service project,” she said.
The project has helped members of the Diamond T 4-H club build self-esteem, work as a team, gain organizational skills and learn about their community, Harris said. Beyond that, the members have seen how serving together can help build friendships, she said.
“My favorite part about 4-H is it helps you get out and not be shy,” Sydney said.
Keylee had a similar thought about the club.
“Four-H is about kindness and helpfulness,” she said. “There are about 14 members in our 4-H club. You get to talk to people and meet new people. You get to go everywhere, too.”
Staff writer Angela Spencer can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or aspencer@arkansasonline.com.